Check for picker stick foot



Aug. 28, 1956 c. DARWIN 5 CHECK FOR PICKER STICK FOOT Filed March 29, 1954 I FIG.|

INVENTOR SZZOCLIFFORD DARWIN and WW ATTORNEY CHECK FOR PICKER STICK FOOT Clifiord Darwin, Paxton, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, l t 5222s., a corpora tion of Massachusetts Application March 29, 1954, Serial No. 419,353

9 Claims. (Cl. 139150) This invention relates to picking mechanisms for looms and more particularly to means for arresting excess upward motion of the picker stick after it has completed its picking stroke.

Certain types of picking mechanism employ a rocker foot secured to the lower end of the picker stick and mounted for a rolling movement along the rocker iron which moves with the lay. The foot generally has a curved under side designed principally for the purpose of giving the upper end of the picker stick a substantially straight line motion during the picking stroke. When looms equipped with such picking mechanism are operated at high speed it is observed that at the end of the working stroke the foot or shoe is likely to move upwardly away from the rocker iron to give an undesired rising motion to the picker stick. At the beginning of the picking stroke the picker will be inclined upwardly and outwardly with respect to the loom and at the end of the stroke the stick is inclined inwardly and the rising motion is in the direction of the length of the stick when at the inner end of its Working stroke.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a check or buffer for the foot so designed as not to have contact with the foot except when it moves upwardly away from the rocker iron at the end of the picking stroke, the buffer arresting substantial rising motion of the stick by its engagement with the foot.

When a picker stick behaves as already described the inner or toe end of the foot moves downwardly along a path inclined toward the center of the loom While the stick is having its working stroke, and then moves upwardly along a path also inwardly inclined and diverging substantially from the downward motion of the toe. It is a further object of the invention to mount the buffer on the rocker iron so that it does not interfere with the down motion of the toe of the foot but will be in position to engage the toe when the latter moves upwardly along a path inclined toward the center of the loom. The check means is mounted on a support having parallel side walls between which the shoe or foot moves, thus making it possible to eliminate the slot generally provided in the rocker foot to receive a guide, since the side walls serve to guide the foot. With the elimination of the slot the foot can be made stronger and this fact together with stopping of the upward motion of the shoe by the check or buffer reduces the likelihood of breakage.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by Way of example the embodiments of the invention and in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the lower part of one end of a loom having the invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed plan view partly in section looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section on line 3-3, Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a detailed vertical section on line 4-4, Fig. 3, showing the toe of the rocker foot in three positions 2,7h,525 Fatentetl Aug. 28, 1956 2?; and indicating the checking operation of the check or buffer,

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the picker stick and shoe at the end of the working stroke of the picker stick,

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but shows the manner in which the check arrests upward motion of the foot, and

Fig. '7 is a diagrammatic view indicating the path of the toe of the rocker foot with relation to the check means.

Referring to Fig. l, the loom frame 1 supports in the lower part thereof a rocker shaft 2 which supports lay swords one of which is shown at 3. These lay swords support a lay 4 having thereon a shuttle box 5 to receive a shuttle S.

A picking shaft 6 is mounted on bearings 7 secured at S to the loom frame. Only one of the bearings 7 is shown in Fig. 1 and it will be understood that the other bearing is behind the bearing shown. Extending upwardly from the shaft 6 is a power arm 9 connected to a sweep stick 10 having a lug strap 11 on the outer end thereof. A picking roll 12 on an arm 13 secured to the bottom shaft 14 of the loom actuates a cam 15 secured to shaft 6 to move the sweep stick 10 to the left at the proper time in the operation of the loom. A picker stick P when on an actuating stroke propels a picker 16 in line with the shuttle to move the latter out of the box 5 across to the opposite side of the loom.

The lay has secured to and depending therefrom a picker stick stop means 17 on the outer, or right hand, Fig. 1, end of which is a positioning stop 18 to determine the normal position of the picker stick at the beginning of the picking stroke and has also a second inner stop or part 19 which brings the upper end of the picker stick to rest at the end of the picking stroke.

Secured to the rocker shaft 2 is a rocker iron 20 provided with a guide roll or part 21 which engages a tongue 22 secured to the lower end of the stick P by a bolt 23. The bolt also extends through an upwardly extending part 24 of a rocker foot 25 secured to the stick. The foot has a curved under surface 26 to have rolling engagement along a top substantially fiat surface 27 on the rocker iron during a picking operation. The lower end of the picker stick passes down through the foot and rocker iron and is connected to a flexible strap 28 attached to a drum 29 on a bolt 30. A torsion spring 31 extends around the bolt 34 and has one end 32 thereof secured to a part 33 depending from the rocker iron 20 and has the other end 34- thereof connected to the drum 29. The effect of the spring is to exert a force on the strap 28 in a left hand direction as viewed in Fig. 1 for the purpose of returning the stick to the position shown in Fig. 1 after a picking operation.

During a pick operation depression of cam 15' by roll 12 will act gh the sweep stick and lug strap to move the picker s. to the left from the upwardly and outwardly inclined position shown in Fig. 1 and the sur face 26 will roll along the surface 27 of the rocker iron. At the end of the working stroke the stick will be inclined upwardly and inwardly, Fig. 5 with its upper end engaging the stop part 19 and any excess force directed against the stick due to momentum of the parts connected to it will tend to move it along the parts 19 and 21 away from the rocker iron and lift it from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 6. During this rising motion of the stick the stop 19 guides the upper end of the stick and the lower end of the stick is guided by engagement of tongue 22 with a roll 21.

During a Working stroke of the picker stick the toe 35 of foot 25 will move from the full line to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4 and then due to rising of the stick will move upwardly toward the dot and dash line position shown in that figure. The downward motion of the toe 35 may be along a given path indicated by line a in Fig. 7 while its rising motion will be along a different path represented by the line b, the first of these paths being directed downwardly and toward the center of the loom. The toe may not move in exactly the path suggested by line a but will approximate that path.

The matter thus far described may be of common construction, such as shown in Erouwer Patent No. 2,407,056, and of itself forms no part of the invention except as pointed out hereinafter.

In carrying the present invention into efiect there is provided a support 49 having spaced parallel vertical walls or sides 41 and 42 which are secured by bolts 43 and 44 to the rocker iron 2%. Extending between the sides 41 and 42 is a bridge 45 which however does not extend for the full length of the walls but for only a part of their length as suggested in Fig. 4. Buffer or check means 46 is held to the under side of bridge 45 between walls 41 and 42 by means of bolts 47 passing through the bridge and having heads 48 on their lower ends. The bufiing means as shown herein comprises a metal plate 49 and a body 56 of shock absorbing cushioning material which may conveniently be felt, although any other suitable cushioning material can be used. The plate 4h is of substantially the same width as the bridge 45, as is also the cushion as shown in Fig. 4.

The checking means 46 extends to a position between the paths :2 and b and is located close to but spaced from and in non-interfering position with respect to the downward path of the toe 35 as represented by the line a in Fig. 7. The check means is, however, in the path b of the toe 35 as the latter rises, as indicated in Fig. 7, and is therefore only in the path of rising bodily movement of the foot. By having the shock absorber 46 mounted as illustrated the lower part of it can be below the normal up position of the toe 35 when the stick P is in its normal position shown in Fig. 1 so that only a comparatively small amount of upward motion of the foot can occur before it is checked. After the checking has occurred the toe 35, which is narrower than the foot and strikes plate .9 between bolt heads 43, will slide to the right along the plate 49 and then traverse some such path as indicated by line c, Fig. 7, back to a point d which may be considered the normal position for the toe 35. As is apparent from Fig. 4 the foot is located between the walls 41 and 42 and is therefore guided by the latter so that the usual guide and slot arrangement customarily employed for the shoe can be omitted with resultant strengthening of the shoe.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention sets forth simple means for checking any substantial upward motion of the foot 25 which may occur when the picker stick is at or near the end of its picking or working stroke. The shock absorber or checking means 46 is close to the given or downward path traversed by the toe 35 represented by line a in Fig. 7 but is near enough to the toe so that when the latter moves upwardly and inwardly with respect to the loom along a dilferent path represented by line b, Fig. 7, it will be able to engage the toe and arrest further upward motion thereof. Furthermore, the support on which the shock absorber 46 is mounted has side walls 41 and 42 which serve as a guide for the foot which extends between them and the support 40 therefore not only provides a check for upward motion of the foot but also acts as a guide for it. If the foot should not rise after the picking stroke is completed it can return to its normal position, Fig. 1, without engaging the check means 46. For certain purposes the stick P and the tongue 22 may be considered to be a unit movable along inner stop part 1? and guide roll 21.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. In a loom having a rocker iron and a picker stick,

4 a rocker foot secured to the stick having rolling engagement with the rocker iron during a picking operation and then tending to move upwardly away from the rocker iron, and a check means mounted on the rocker iron out of the path of the foot as the latter has said rolling engagement with the rocker iron but positioned to be engaged by the foot if the latter moves upwardly to limit upward movement of the foot.

2. In a loom having a rocker iron and a picker stick, a rocker foot secured to the stick having a rolling relation with respect to the rocker iron during a picking operation of the stick and provided with a toe which during the picking operation traverses a downward path inclined toward the loom, said foot upon completion of the picking operation having a tendency to rise away from the rocker iron in a direction to move said toe in an upward path inclined toward the loom, and check means on the rocker iron out of the downward path of said toe but located in the upward path of said toe to engage said toe and limit upward movement of the foot. 3. In a loom having a rocker iron and a picker stick supportingrocker foot having a toe which during the picking operation traverses a given downward path, the rocker ffoot uponcompletion of the picking stroke tending to have a rising movement away from the rocker iron and move said toe upwardly along a different path, and means on the rocker iron between said paths out of said given path but in said different path to engage isaid toe and limit said rising movement of the foot.

4. In a loom having a rocker iron and a picker stick which at the beginning of the picking stroke is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the loom and at the end of the picking stroke is inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the loom, a rocker foot secured to the stick tending upon completion of the picking stroke to have an upward movement away from the rocker iron in the direction in which the stick is inclined at the end of its picking stroke, and check means on the rocker iron positioned to engage said foot only when the latter moves upwardly from the rocker iron to limit said upward movement of the foot.

5. In a loom having a rocker iron and a picker stick unit which at the beginning of a picking operation is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the loom and at the end of the picking operation is inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the loom and is in engagement with a part on the rocker iron and also with a stop part on the loom, said picker stick tending upon completion of the picking operation to have an upward movement along said parts in a direction toward the loom, a rocker foot secured to the picker stick and having an upward motion when the stick has said upward movement, and check means on the rocker iron out of the path of the foot during the picking operation but positioned to engage said foot to limit said upward motion only thereof when the picker stick has said upward movement along said parts.

6. In a loom having a rocker iron and a picker stick foot extending along and having rolling engagement with the rocker iron along a given path during a picking operation, said foot tending to have a rising movement along a different path nearer the center of the loom than said given path upon completion of the picking operation, a support secured to the rocker iron, and check means on said support positioned to engage and resist movement of the foot only-when the latter has said rising movement along said different path.

7. The loom as set forth in claim 6 wherein said support has parallel spaced walls extending from the check means toward the stick and between which the foot extends to guide said foot during both the picking operation and said rising movement of the foot.

8. The loom as set forth in claim 6 wherein said support has sacedparaIlel vertical walls extending from the check means and toward the stick and joined by a bridge at the upper ends of the walls out of said given path, and said check is secured to the under side of said bridge between said walls.

9. The loom set forth in claim 8 wherein said checii comprises a plate out of said given path for engagement with the foot and a body of shock absorbing material between said plate and said bridge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hoeber et al Mar. 31, 1942 Bean Ian. 19, 1875 Johnson Nov. 10, 1903 Hirschmann Nov. 25, 1919 Webster Dec. 16, 1919 

